David Sampson, classical music composer

David Sampson

Biography

David Sampson (b. 1951, Charlottesville, Virginia) has emerged as one of the truly unique voices of his generation achieving rapidly growing attention from major orchestras, soloists and ensembles. He was Composer-in-Residence for the Colonial Symphony Orchestra (1998-2007).

Selected works include Hommage JFK commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra; Monument commissioned by the Barlow Foundation for the Akron and Memphis Symphony Orchestras; Turns for Cello and Orchestra commissioned by the Bergen Foundation and cellist Paul Tobias and premiered with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra; Triptych for trumpet and orchestra commissioned by the International Trumpet Guild and premiered by Raymond Mase at the Aspen Music Festival and with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall; Dectet commissioned by the Chicago Chamber Musicians; Strata commissioned by the NEA and the American Brass Quintet; and three orchestral works commissioned by the Colonial Symphony Orchestra.

Other recent works include Crosscurrents for fifteen brass and two percussion written for David Hickman and Summit Brass; Changewater Suite for trombone octet written for David Jackson and the University of Michigan Trombone Ensemble; Moving Parts and Millbrook Suite written for the Randolph Wind Ensemble; Outburst for wind ensemble written for the North Jersey Area Wind Ensemble; Undercurrents for solo flute written for Amy Porter; The Powell Trio for trombone, marimba and piano written for Michael Powell; Breathing Lessons for saxophone quartet commissioned by Chamber Music America for the Amherst Saxophone Quartet.

David Sampson received a 2006 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. He has also received major grants from the NEA, American Academy of Arts and Letters, Barlow Endowment, Jerome Foundation, Cary Trust, and the Dodge Foundation, among others. He holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, Hunter College, Manhattan School of Music, and the Ecoles d' Art Americaines, where his teachers included Karel Husa, Henri Dutilleux and John Corigliano in composition; and Gerard Schwarz, Gilbert Johnson, Robert Nagel, and Raymond Mase in trumpet. His music is published by Editions BIM, Hickman Pulications, Cantate Press and David Sampson Music. He has served on the Board of the Composers Guild of New Jersey and the Advisory Board of the Bergen Foundation.